Maylynn Coleman never imagined she would be considered a success story, and she suspects those who knew her when she was younger likely would not have anticipated such a description either.
“Truthfully, I am so grateful for where I am today because absolutely everything in my past was pointing me in an entirely different direction,” she says.
She describes herself as a former bully and misfit who was unmotivated to become anything more than the class clown. Growing up in downstate New York, she didn’t really feel like she fit in anywhere when she was in school as a teen.
“I ended up dropping out when I was 15,” she recalls, feeling that neither her teachers nor her school believed in her.
She spent some time nannying for two kids while her mother pleaded with her to recognize her potential and return to school.
“Between the lack of support from school, being picked on a lot and thrown around, I thought it was better for me,” she explains.
Thanks to a push from her father, Maylynn relocated to upstate New York and found her way back to school. A new location and a fresh start began turning things around for her. When she pushed her teachers and tested their patience, they pushed back, and in doing so, Maylynn was able to realize some of the potential she didn’t know she had.
“The new school that I went to was the complete opposite,” she says. “Every teacher believed in me 10 times more than I ever believed in myself.”
Rather than focusing on her aggressive demeanor, they chose to see her academic potential. Maylynn says those teachers are the only reason she ever went to college.
One Step Forward, Two Steps Back, Repeat
Even so, Maylynn’s first attempt at a college education did not prove fruitful. She moved back downstate for school, putting her a long distance from her family.
“It was my first time out on my own, and I cracked under the pressure,” she says.
With her family miles away and no one to support her the way she felt supported by her high school teachers, she turned to alcohol, ignored her studies, and eventually left school. Near this time, she had started a relationship with a soldier, and she had a decision to make. She could move five hours away from him but closer to her family or she could move on base with him and continue dating.
“Then I fell into a marriage,” she laughs, describing it as a happy accident.
Maylynn says she loves being a wife as well as a mom to her three young children, while also knowing that being a military spouse means sometimes putting her own goals and desires in line behind her husband’s military career.
“His mission comes first for the entire family,” she says, adding that she understands.
That’s why the Early Childhood Education Administration program at the University of Arizona Global Campus (UAGC) not only fit her personal goals, but also the unique needs of her family.
“Even if he gets sent away for a month, I don’t have to be physically present at school, so I can still make it work,” she says.
That doesn’t mean that school suddenly came easily to her. At 21 years of age and during her first year of marriage, Maylynn was diagnosed with early-onset dementia. She said that her husband raised concerns first.
“I couldn’t reflect back on a lot of things,” she describes. “I don’t remember my graduation. I don’t remember my prom. I don’t have any recollection of any of those details, and I thought that was normal.”
So, her husband encouraged her to see a neurologist. After a lengthy series of tests, her symptoms pointed to dementia. While it’s difficult to point to a specific cause, it’s possible that traumatic brain injuries Maylynn experienced during an abusive relationship are at the root of her condition.
“I have to notate everything,” Maylynn explains. “Even a casual conversation, where someone else may be able to rely on remembering the conversation later, I won’t.” She says she has to rely on her husband to help her keep track of important documents, and in school, she has to stay proactive and be open.
“To succeed, you have to become comfortable with being uncomfortable, messaging instructors, and being humble and raw on days when you probably could have done your assignments, but the words wouldn’t come to you,” she says.
Since the online classroom at UAGC allows Maylynn to go back and look at all of her work, she’s able to gather the information she needs and find the words when she reaches the final project in a course, something that may not be possible in a traditional setting.
“The best thing you can do is to not have expectations and to keep challenging yourself,” she says of the outlook for her future. Maylynn refuses to allow early-onset dementia to determine what she’s capable of accomplishing.
And that’s exactly what she’s done. Maylynn even gave birth to two of her three children while in school at UAGC, without taking time off.
“I’ve worked as a post-partum doula, and I know that nine times out of 10, the birth isn’t the hard part,” she explains. “It’s after the first month, so I was waiting to see when it got hard.”
Maylynn has used her experience at UAGC to encourage and support others in pursuing their goals.
Of course, things did get hard, but this supermom and super student has figured out how to make great use of all her time, even using shower time to read course material on her cell phone that she mounts on the wall.
“I have three children, and the shower is one of the only times I get alone time,” she laughs.
Now, she’s on track to be a college graduate by the end of 2022.
If her family and school weren’t enough to keep her busy, Maylynn also created a support group for women. What she believes makes her group different is that the support is not conditional.
“I support you because you’re a person and you’re having a hard time,” she affirms. “Even though we don’t see eye-to-eye, I’m not going to focus on that right now.”
The group has navigated challenging topics together by creating a non-judgmental space for people to voice their feelings about difficult situations. It’s become a space for people to learn from each other and to seek support through their personal struggles.
“I have always joked that in the ‘full plate’ analogy, I am the type that walks into a buffet, sits the plate down at the table, and heads to the trays with a fork,” she jokes. “I never even realize how much I have taken on until I am far too committed to back down.”
A Mission All Her Own
Why climb the uphill battle to achieve her degree? Maylynn is on a mission to improve education options for military families, specifically those seeking a homeschooling option. Often, military families are faced with a lack of choice or having to relocate on short notice. Similar to the benefits she’s found at UAGC, she wants the curriculum to be mobile, so kids can continue to learn while in transition.
Through a career fair at UAGC, Maylynn found a job in childcare and decided it would be a great way to start building her resume and gaining experience.
“Learning what works for them and where they’re struggling might help me figure out where I want to go in my future,” she explains.
Maylynn’s philosophy is that higher levels of education should be modeled after early and primary years.
“If we kept it student-led and interest-focused, then they would be learning what we need them to know in ways that they’re interested in knowing it,” she says, adding that curriculum becomes more and more standardized as students make their way through the education system.
“I now know the power of knowledge, the importance of sharing it, and the even greater obligation to never stop striving for more of it,” she says of her own journey.
She’s influenced others to seek the knowledge that comes with a college education. Many of her siblings are also pursuing degrees at UAGC.
“I didn’t grow up being spoken to about SAT scores, resumes, or financial aid – mostly because my parents didn’t know anything about it to share with us,” she says.
She’s able to support her family members and peers with the lessons she’s learned throughout her life.
“I am 27 years old, and yet I feel like I have lived three lifetimes,” she admits. “I joke that the three children are what aged me, but truthfully it was the impulse decisions and important life lessons.”
-- Whitney Bradford is a UAGC senior content specialist and former University advisor.
Certain degree programs may not be available in all states.